Obama threatens Russia with new sanctions over Ukraine

President Barack Obama acknowledged during an impromptu press conference on Thursday afternoon that the United States is considering new sanctions to impose against Russia over the escalating crisis in Ukraine.

From the White House, Pres. Obama told reporters that he’s
certain Russia is playing a direct role in the ongoing fighting
in eastern Ukraine between anti-Kiev separatists and the
country’s military, and that the US is weighing further sanctions
to intensify the restrictions previously waged against Moscow.

“As a result of the action Russia has already taken and the
major sanctions we’ve imposed,” Obama said, “Russia is
already more isolated than any time since the end of the cold
war.”

That behavior, he added, “will only bring more cost and
consequences to Russia.” After speaking with allies, Obama
continued, he expects a new wave of sanctions to come soon. The
president is expected to meet with NATO partners next week, and
said the US “will continue to stand firm with our allies and
partners” to protect Ukraine from further encroachment.

“In our consultation with our European allies,” Obama
said, “…my expectation is we will take additional steps,
primary because we have not seen any meaningful action on the
part of Russia to try and actually resolve this in a diplomatic
fashion.”

Earlier Thursday, US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said
during a press conference that there are “additional tools
and sanctions” being considered against Russia.

Psaki and the president’s remarks sandwiched a meeting of the
United Nations Security Council in New York City, during which
representatives from the US, United Kingdom, Australia and others
all urged Russia to refrain from further escalating the situation
near its border with eastern Ukraine.

“In the face of this threat, the cost of inaction is
unacceptable," Samantha Power, the US ambassador to the UN,
said during the meeting.

On his part, Pres. Obama added that the US has ruled out the
possibility of a military response.

“We are not taking military action to solve the Ukrainian
problem. What we’re doing is to mobilize the international
community to apply pressure on Russia. But I think it is very
important to recognize that a military solution for this problem
is not going to be forthcoming,” he said.

“Ukraine is not a member of NATO, but a number of those
states who are close by are,” he added, “and we take our
Article Five commitments to defend each other very seriously —
and that includes the smallest NATO member as well as the
largest.”